44 THE PSYCHIC LIFE 



of the flagellum ; second, formation of the vesicle 

 which extends towards and envelops the food, when 

 the latter has come near; third, absorption of the food. 



The Acinetae are organisms that move about very 

 little ; they frequently remain fixed to a pedicle their 

 whole life long. They have no cilia, but exhibit ra- 

 diating prolongations, more or less numerous, and 

 sparse or grouped in tufts, as the case may be. These 

 filaments are suckers, provided at the end with a small 

 air-hole. When a thoughtless Infusory swims into 

 the territory of an Acineta, the latter arrests it by means 

 of its stout filaments and fastens upon the former's body 

 the cup-shaped extremities of its suckers, which make 

 a vacuum. The protoplasm of the Ciliate thus cap- 

 tured, slips slowly through the suckers as through 

 tubes, and is gathered together in the interior of the 

 Acineta in the form of small drops. In the Acinetae, 

 accordingly, particular organs are adapted to the pre- 

 hension and absorption of food. Corresponding to 

 the greater complexity of physical action, the psy- 

 chical process necessary for the act of prehension has 

 likewise become more complicated than is the case 

 with the Amoeba. The Acineta is obliged to direct 

 its sucker towards the Infusory which, is within its 

 reach, and consequently the animal is obliged to de- 

 termine the position of its prey. 



There are Acinetidae that exhibit prehensile or- 

 gans more perfect than those just noticed. Such are 

 the Hemiophrys. They have both sucker tentacles and 

 prehensile tentacles. The latter are filaments which 

 the animal throws about its victim like a lasso, thus 

 enveloping and rendering it motionless, while it pro- 

 ceeds to feed upon it by means of its suctorial ap- 

 paratus. 



